Thursday, September 01, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY by Danielle Steele

Valerie Wyatt has it all. Not only is she a self made millionaire, but with her top rated TV show she is the reigning diva in the art of gracious living. Divorced long ago, she has worked hard, but today she feels as if she is missing something. Looking around at her perfect Fifth Avenue penthouse in her perfect outfit, none of this matters because Valerie is turning sixty! Oh, no…

Sexy Jack Adams is still as popular now as he was twelve years ago. Retired from the NFL, he is single and a player. He is the most popular sports analyst on TV. Jack also has his pick of young hot ladies who swarm around him. However, after a particularly wild party, Jacks wakes up on his fiftieth birthday and feels very old, and with his bad back aching, he decides something is lacking in his life. But he doesn’t know what.

Valerie’s daughter, April, shares her birthday on the same day as her mother. They have always celebrated it together. April is a chef and has a one-of-a-kind restaurant in downtown New York, and dedicates all her energies to making it a success. And it is successful, but today, on her birthday, April faces the fact that she is pregnant. To make matters worse, after a night of drinking, she had a one night stand with a food critic. Adding to the insult, he slammed her restaurant. At thirty, April is facing the biggest decision of her life; will it be the right one?

Jack and Valerie work in the same building, where they tape their shows. Their first meeting in the elevator is short and irritating to both. After surviving a frightening act of violence, Jack and Valerie discover they have much in common and become friends. He’s leather and she’s lace, and the affair becomes more than that.

April finally calls the food critic, Michael, and informs him of the baby. He doesn’t take it well, and bails on her. But April has decided to have the baby with or without Michael. Instead of ranting against him, she keeps the door open to the relationship with the shy Michael.

I enjoyed HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Danielle Steel has woven a warm and entertaining tale. The characters are memorable, and the story line has plenty of twist and turns.